Archive for the ‘Executive Presentation Skills’ Category

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The Great Goal Hoax

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Goals are limiting.  I know that line is shocking to think about or even digest because goals are every where.  We are constantly besieged with how we need to write goals out in order to be successful.

But there is also a reason that almost every New Year’s Eve Resolution (goal) is dead in the water by March.

So what can you do to acheive more if not goals?

The most important thing you can do is maximize the use of your mind.  Each time you stretch the way you think, you stretch your ability to achieve something new.   When you stretch to the next level you never land back in the same spot you were before.

Hugh Jackson, in a recent article said, “In this country, people are all about setting goals…but we limit ourselves with goals. We have far more ability than we give ourselves credit for. How can you maximize the use of your mind? You see that in people under pressure.”

So how powerful is the mind really on achievement?  In one study they had basketball players shoot free throws so they could see how many times on average each player was able to get the ball in the hoop.  Then they broke them in to two camps.  One camp practiced free throws over and over with a basketball and the other group just visualized the free throw shot with the ball going in hoop.  They then brought both teams out to see if they had improved their basketball shots.  They found that the group that just visualized the ball going in actually IMPROVED their accuracy and shots then the team that actually shot the basketball.

What they discovered is that when you visualize something happen you actually get all your muscles in movement with that visualization.

So for this next week, stretch your thinking.  Read some new books, study something on the Internet, or step out of your comfort zone by speaking up more  Push the limits on what you think you can do so you can see how much you can really accomplish.  You may just be surprised.

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How To Get More Power & Control

Monday, February 20th, 2012

If you grab a handful of sand and squeeze you quickly find it slips right through your fingers until you have no more sand.  It is only by using an open palm and a scooping action that you can gather the most sand and hold on to it.

Power is exactly the same.  The tighter your squeeze and control on your employees the more power you will lose.  The sad thing is, not only do you keep your group trapped, but you also end up being the bottleneck to success for your team.  Literally they can only do as much as you can approve or interact with- so a team of 100 can really become a team of one. (If you haven’t read the book, The Goal, I highly recommend it as it will explain the bottleneck idea very clearly.)

In order to get more power you really have to give power.  You give power by building trust with others on what they need to do and why they need to do it and then you leave them to handle the how to do it.  Now I subscribe to the belief that you give trust and verify.  This means that you give trust to your employees and you remain firm on the outcome agreed to while assisting them with removing obstacles that can stop them from achieving the outcome.

Too many leaders give trust and then sit back in their office in fear or frustration that the person will not be able to execute successfully.  I don’t believe in giving trust that way because it just leaves both parties miserable.  They intuitively feel you aren’t 100% behind them so they end up second guessing every decision they make and you end up in your office chewing up a roll of Tums as you see the deadline looming and no results coming.

So how do you give trust but verify?

  1. State clearly to the person the outcome you are looking for, why it is important and what needs to happen.
  2. Make sure they clearly grasp what is at stake and the “why” behind the project.  The “why” is what will motivate them and will help them make strategic decisions when they have to make tough choices.  Once they know the “why” they can look at each decision through the lens of “will this help us accomplish this project or will it cause a problem?”
  3. Talk openly about the obstacles, barriers, or fears you have with project.  This is the part I see most leaders NOT doing.  They hint around it but don’t come out directly and talk about it.  That is like putting toxins in the air.  Get them out in the open up front.
  4. Talk candidly together about how to overcome the barriers or obstacles or how to handle the fears.  For example, I would rather have a leader say, “this is a high profile project that I will be constantly stopped and asked about at meetings.  My fear is that you will tend to give me light answers like, ‘things are on track’ when what I really need are specifics so I can talk intelligently about it in meetings.  I know in the past that has felt like I am micro-managing you and that is not my intent.  So how will we both get past that?”

Once you have candidly laid out the plan with each other, make sure you include discussion on “how you will stay in contact on the project.”  There should be no surprises with trust but verify as the person should know exactly what your concerns are and what the consequences are if the outcome isn’t met.

As a leader you now become the support network to help your team overcome obstacles, create solutions and leap to success.  You will find you will gain power as others respect your team more and you gain more time back to do what you really should be doing as a leader- making strategic decisions that drive results.

Learn more about the Outcome Focus® Leadership Development Training by contacting Paul Cummings at 952-921-9421

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The Shocking Truth About Multitasking

Friday, February 17th, 2012

I must admit that I am a multitasker.  If I am watching television, I am also playing solitaire on my iPad.  If I am writing, I am also listening to music. Just working on one thing at a time is hard for me so it puzzled me as to why I could get all I need to accomplish done 8 AM to 5 PM.

Leaders started asking me to train them on how to do more with less.  That is the focus of today’s blog.  I want you to be able to be outside, out with your family or being able to pursue other passions.

I found some interesting information about your brain from John Medina, author of Brain Rules.   He found that every time you switch between tasks you lose at least 0.7 seconds.  Now that doesn’t sound like much but what is behind it is really significant.  See Medina found that along with the time loss your likelihood of errors goes up by 50 percent!

This is one of the reasons I find some leaders are productive and others work a ton of hours trying to be productive.  Productivity doesn’t come from multitasking-  It comes from knowing when NOT to multitask.

Here are some times to NOT multitask, why and what you can do instead so you increase your productivity and DECREASE the time you spend in the office.

Don’t multitask:

  1. In Meetings.  Your focus needs to be on hearing the facts so you can make informed decisions.  If you find meetings aren’t productive, restructure them so each person shares what the outcome of the meeting is and why you are relevant to and the discussion. If they can’t define that, don’t go to the meeting.  I can’t tell you how many leaders have found they are in the wrong meeting, or they are the wrong person at the meeting or that the person running the meeting has no clue as to what is the outcome they need from the meeting.
  2. When doing emails.  I recently got called by an executive that wanted to know how to “fix” a bad email she sent.  She had been multitasking between a phone call and the email when she typed up the email and hit send.  Well it had some critical information in it that was not suppose to be sent to all but she had automatically hit “reply to all.”  Now she was trying to do the reverse dance which is never pretty.
  3. Employee one-on-ones.  This is their time to be in front of you with full attention on them.  If you have a person who doesn’t handle their time well, educate them on how to have an effective meeting with you.  Show them how to prioritize what they come to you with and what things they should run with and not involve you in.  To start this process, at the end of each meeting for the next two months, share what worked and what can be improved so you are more helpful for them in accomplishing their goals.
  4. In a negotiation.  I know this one sounds obvious yet you wouldn’t believe how many times I see people looking at email, the internet or notes while they are negotiating.  This is one time you need your brain 100% on the other person, not you.  I recommend you always stand when negotiating on the phone so you eliminate the desire and temptation of focusing on anything but that call.

ONE HOT TIP- block off time each week that is your time for strategically working on key projects.  You will find you accomplish much more when you close your door and know you have complete focus.  I have had executives that prior to coaching with us, took their blackberries and laptops on all trips because they were constantly needed.  After going through coaching and learning “focused strategic attention” they are able to let go.  One executive just went on a three week vacation and never called in, checked voice mail or emails the entire time.  He said, “I have never been so energized coming back to work. It was amazing all my team accomplished as well!”

Multitasking for low brain activities isn’t bad.  When you are watching TV go ahead and play solitaire, but when you are working on high intense discussions, projects or plans block the appropriate time off for you to fully concentrate on the topic at hand.

Learn more about the Outcome Focus® Leadership Development Training by contacting Paul Cummings at 952-921-9421

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Posted in Corporate Leadership training, Corporate Sales Training, Executive Presentation Skills, Leadership Development Training, Negotiation Skills Training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Skills Seminars, Presentation Skills Training, Sales Training Programs | No Comments »

The Great Trust Hoax…

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Is trust given or earned?

When ever I ask that question, the most common answer I hear is, “it is earned.”  But when I ask that leader, when you first held your new born baby did you think, “earn my trust” or did you just “give the trust” and hold yourself accountable to teach trust.

Every time the answer is, “I gave my trust.”  By nature we give trust easier to kids and babies then we do to adults.  My position is give trust but validate.

So as a leader it is your responsibility to build and uphold a trustworthy team. If you don’t have a trustworthy team, you need to look at what you are doing that is allowing the team to operate on a lower standard.

Here are some things you can do to help your team be high in the trust and accountability department:

  1. What you tell one is what you tell all.  If the team hears mixed messages they begin to doubt both the message and the messenger.  This starts to create a divide in your team as to how they view each person on the team AND that person’s position with you.
  2. Help people let go of the past.  If you have negative emotions or situations in the group you need to address them immediately and help others to overcome those.  Andy Andrews says, “Forgiveness is a decision not an emotion. One you decide to forge, your emotions will follow your decisions.”
  3. Once emotions/situations have been cleansed as a team, do not let ONE incident or comment about them pass.  If you do you have just allowed all the good work to go down the drain and the wound is now reopened.
  4. Find out from the team if there are other things you are doing that erodes trust.  Many of these I find are happening for logical reasons with no malicious intent.  For example, one executive we worked with constantly went to Paul in his company whenever a new project came up.  Well, resentment built that Paul always got to work on the plum projects.  What the leader failed to tell the group was the Paul’s forte was in seeing and creating a clear flow of project alignment so that more could get done by the team with less time being taken by everyone.  He had actually increased the productivity of the team by over 20% with his methods but that never got shared with the team.

So as a leader, I encourage you to give trust and then help people live up to that trust by executing at a high level.

Learn more about the Outcome Focus® Leadership Development Training by contacting Paul Cummings at 952-921-9421

 

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How To Sell With The New Social Media Influence

Friday, February 10th, 2012

51% of Americans over the age of 12 have a profile on Facebook.  25% of social network users say that Facebook influences most of their buying decisions.  The world is changing, are you keeping up?

I bring this up because I see so many Sales Executives we work with trying to influence clients the old way.  PowerPoint and your presentation should be CEMENTING the client’s decision not trying to OPEN up the discussion. The fundamental shift comes from the influence of social media on how people think and yes, it is impacting business decision-making in a large scale way.  It is not your product that sells them often, it is what they see and hear others are doing with your product.

The average client has already researched the internet BEFORE calling you about your product or service.  What they are looking for is a connection to them that speaks to their problem, challenge and proof that others like them have found your solution the best.

So here are some key things you need to think about:

1. Are your sales people armed with understanding your business or are you teaching them Strategic Thinking so they are armed with understanding their Customer’s Business?

90% of all corporate training for sales people is on product knowledge but your client buys based on their feeling and trust of the sales person.  That trust doesn’t come from knowledge they share about your product but on their ability to truly hear what the client needs and then tie what they say to those needs.  The truly great sales people hear what has never been said.

2. Are your PowerPoints about “this is who we are, this is what we do/have and this is how it can help you?”

If they are, you are behind the times. You are still trying to influence clients by showing them how you stand out.  The reality is they need to FEEL you are the best choice.  This happens today because they feel you are the one who “gets” them and their needs. So you need to reverse your presentations so they speak to them first, you second.

3. Are your sales people trained on how to listen as well as speak?

As you can see, listening has become crucial.  Time is compressed and you often only have one shot at making things happen.  So how you listen becomes important because it determines what you hear.  If you think on the defense you will often hear, a great buying question, as a product challenge question.  This leads you to shutting down the conversation rather than opening it up.

Take Action:

To Do versus To Think

1. Go through all your training and look at how much time you dedicate to teaching the thinking necessary to have deep thoughtful and robust conversations with clients.  You should spend over half your training teaching this as the only real tool brought in to every meeting is your brain.

Who We Are Versus What I Know About You

2. Review your PowerPoint presentations.  Take a highlighter and highlight everything that is about you, your product, your company or your team.  Only 20-30% should be about you, the rest should be about the client.

As a Sales Leader it becomes very easy to teach the “how to do” versus teaching the “how to think.”  When that happens though you become an indispensable part of the buying process which ultimately makes you a clog in growth. If you find right now that you spend most of your time going on calls, handling negotiations and conversations because you aren’t sure your sales people can think on their feet, then the above steps can be very liberating for you.   Imagine what you would do if you had 25% more time for strategic thinking and planning- what would you do?

Make the quick changes above to start on your path to freedom.

Learn more about the Outcome Focus® Leadership Development Training by contacting Paul Cummings at 952-921-9421

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Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear…But Don’t Make Him Your Communication

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Do you remember that old school song- “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.  Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.” Well fuzzy in a bear might be cute but in communication it is  the death knell.  In order to be seen as more strategic you need to up the ante on your communication.

Here are some ways to make sure you move away from “fuzzy” language.

1. Use concrete facts and dates when talking about things.

2. Avoid vague language- words like “seldom, usually” as these can vary in mean significantly by each person.

3. Don’t allow employees to use vague language.  Challenge statements like, “it should be done this week” by asking “when specifically should I say it will be completed? Thursday at 3 pm?  This will get people thinking in concrete terms.

4. Read emails, brochures and memos to see what words or phrases could be clear to you but vague to others.  For example, “Enter in the south door when there are three doors on the south side of the building is confusing.” Enter in the South door marked Employees Only is much more clear.

When we bring leaders through Conflict Harmonizer they are continually amazed at how many different interpretations there can be for some of the common words and phrases we all use.  In one game we play we have found a difference of someone assuming a word used meant you did that 70% of the time and someone else in the group interpreted it to mean you did it only 20% of the time- a 50% spread!

The more concrete you become as a communicator the higher your trust rating is with people because they know exactly what you mean.

 

TAKE ACTION:  Go in to your last three emails and highlight any language that can be misintepreted or that is vague.  Then rewrite it using concrete terms.

 

PS:  Join us for our next no-cost Impression Management webinar, The Key Ingredient To Executive Presence – The Secret Sauce That No one Tells You About! Register Today!

 

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Posted in Corporate Leadership training, Corporate Sales Training, Executive Presentation Skills, Leadership Presentation, Presentation Skills, Presentation Skills Seminars, Presentation Skills Solutions, Presentation Skills Training, Sales Training Programs | 1 Comment »

Three Columns – Six Words – That Can Change Your Life!

Monday, February 6th, 2012

As a leader your job is to continually coach and mentor those around you so they can grow in their performance.  This can be really tough to do, especially if your team, just had a dismal quarter.

John Maxwell was sharing a story about a basketball coach that, during half time, put up three columns on a white board in order to help the team turn around their performance.  Those three columns had- Did Right – Did Wrong – Will Change- just six words.

Notice how different that would bring your mind if you knew you would build on what was right, analyze what went wrong and then looked at what you would change to make things different.

So why not do that in your business?  Why stay in a rut? Why allow people to wallow in misery?

Those three columns create hope because:

  • They don’t focus on the past; they learn from the past
  • They don’t defend what went wrong; they look at what to change
  • They don’t inject blame; they assume the power to make things happen

TAKE ACTION:

At your next team meeting use the three columns to change how you all view a project, process or client.  Create hope for a next quarter that is off the charts.

Learn more about the Outcome Focus® Leadership Development Training by contacting Paul Cummings at 952-921-9421

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